In 1595 Cardinal Odoardo Farnese called the brothers Agostino and Annibale Carracci from Bologna to Rome, wishing to employ them in the adornment of the Palazzo Farnese. Annibale, the younger brother, soon settled in the papal city as the cardinal’s painter and created many works for his patron, including the Loves of the Gods, the masterpiece decorating the ceiling of the palace’s Galleria. Agostino soon followed his brother to Rome, and for a brief period the two worked closely together on this enterprise, until a quarrel put an end to their collaboration, and Agostino returned to Bologna. Over the centuries, Agostino’s share in the conception and execution of the gallery’s ceiling has been hotly debated, and it remains difficult to define today: the surviving drawings are the only evidence on which to base an assessment, and however different their personalities may have been in life, when Annibale and Agostino worked so closely together on the same project, their drawings become almost impossible to tell apart. Is this where we reach the limits of connoisseurship? A fresh look at the known studies, together with some new sheets, may help us to obtain a better insight on the brothers’ individual gifts as draftsmen. The talk will also investigate the development of Annibale’s late Roman drawing style and its impact on his students.

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The programs of The Morgan Library & Museum are made possible with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.